Mike Waters | mwaters@syracuse.com

About Me:

Mike Waters has covered Syracuse University's basketball program for the Post-Standard for over 20 years. His work has earned awards from the Associated Press Sports Editors and the U.S. Basketball Writers Association. He's written three books, including "Syracuse University Basketball Vault.'' A University of North Carolina graduate, Waters lives in Camillus, N.Y., with his wife and two children.

On the surface, Tom Green's record at Fairleigh Dickinson might seem rather mediocre. But if you're at a place like FDU, your non-conference schedule can be loaded with games against teams from major conferences. Green's FDU schedules included games against several big-name schools.

It's tough to win consistently at a place like FDU.

Anything over .500 at that level is actually pretty darn good. And seven 20-plus win seasons is amazing.

When Syracuse played Georgetown near the end of the 1979-80 season, it was supposed to be the last game at Manley Field House. Georgetown won that game, snapping Syracuse's long home winning streak, and afterward John Thompson uttered the famous phrase "Manley Field House is officially closed.''

And that's the way it was. Until the 1994-95 season.

Syracuse was part of the Preseason NIT with a home game against George Washington on Nov. 16. My memory's a little fuzzy, but the game was played at Manley because the Dome wasn't available on that date.

The game turned out to be a wild one. Syracuse definitely "showed up'' but this was a new team with juco transfer Michael Lloyd playing in his first game. George Washington; coached by Mike Jarvis, had a really good team. I remember a young freshman center named Alexander Koul.

In the final minute, GW led and dozens of fans were headed for the exits, but Lloyd tied the game on a long-range 3-pointer at the buzzer.

GW regained its composure and won, 111-104, in overtime.

Interesting side note, Syracuse would go 0-4 in overtime that season, including the season-ending loss to Arkansas in the NCAA Tournament by the score of 96-94.

Obviously, I'm not going to reveal my sources, but if you've followed my reporting over the years, I hope you know that my sources are pretty solid.

I don't think Floyd Little will have any influence over the decision on the Boeheim's successor. He's a former football player who has no basketball history. If anything, I think Little would listen most closely to Boeheim.

Don't confuse my answer to your question as my opinion. This is just what I know to be true through my reporting.

I've answered this question several times in both chats and here on the blog.

When Jim Boeheim retires (and I have no idea of when that might be), Mike Hopkins will be the next head coach at Syracuse University. I've been told that by several sources.

I believe what I've been told in part because it explains why Hopkins has turned down St. Bonaventure and Charlotte. It's the reason that he never entered the Providence search. And it's why he stayed out of the Penn State picture.

One reason that there's no formal announcement is the belief on the part of SU officials that such an announcement would "start the clock'' on the countdown to Boeheim's retirement. Syracuse officials don't want to do that to Boeheim. An official announcement is unnecessary except to appease people who want a timetable for their own personal reasons.

For those most impacted by the succession; that is, coaches, players and recruits, the line of succession is in place and well-known.

To know why people, especially Jim Boeheim and Daryl Gross, think Mike Hopkins will be a good head coach you need to meet Mike Hopkins. You need to watch him work with players before, during and after practice. You need to appreciate the recruiting relationships he's built and continues to build. You need to talk to people on the bench and hear what they say regarding his in-game coaching.

One thing's for certain, you don't need to worry about how good a player he was. He was a hustler. He played defense above his athletic ability. He understood the game.

How good was Mike Krzyzewski? How good was Dean Smith? How good was Rick Pitino? How good was Tom Izzo, Jim Calhoun, John Calipari or Jim Boeheim?

Some of the best athletes are terrible coaches. The game came so easily to them that they don't know how to teach it. Think Bill Russell, Michael Jordan or cross sports and remember Ted Williams.

You can have your opinion regarding Jim Boeheim, the 2-3 zone, Mike Hopkins, etc. But I did have one question regarding your repeated argument that Syracuse's facilities are No. 1 in the United States.

Have you seen the facilities at other schools? I'm not even talking about North Carolina, Duke, Kentucky, Texas and Kansas.

I've been to every school in the Big East and I'd have to put Syracuse at No. 3 behind Pittsburgh and Louisville. Marquette's Al McGuire Center is on par with the Melo Center. The Carrier Dome might seat 33,000 (once or twice a year), but go behind the scenes. Rutgers has better locker rooms than SU does at the Carrier Dome. Seton Hall, Villanova and Georgetown play in really nice NBA arenas.